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BIG TEN CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 11, 2011Talor BattleJeff BrooksEd DeChellisINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA Penn State – 36 COACH DECHELLIS: Really, really proud of our guys. As we all know here, it wasn't a pretty basketball game, but you have to win them somehow, and we were able to win the thing tonight. I think we got off to such a great start offensively and then we just went south in a hurry and never could get anything back. Couldn't get any rhythm. Then Bubby made a big shot to kind of give us a little breathing room, and we held on, and really, really proud of our guys, proud of our seniors for the effort that they've given me for four years, and now we've got a chance. Q. Talor, if you had to describe this game in a phrase or a word, what would you call it? TALOR BATTLE: Before I even call it anything, I just want to tell everyone this: I told Jeff yesterday, we're getting massages after we played yesterday, and he goes, T, I'm going to have 40 tomorrow -- he says, you're going to have 30 tomorrow, you're going to have 45. I said we're only going to score 35, and we scored 36. As the game went on, I was like, wow, I really called this, but it was an ugly, physical, Big Ten game. I guess if we keep it in the 30s, I remember we won the game a couple of years back 38-33. We're pretty good in the 30s, 2 and 0 now. It was just a war, no one could hit a shot, no one. I'm looking at the stat sheet. First I thought it was just me, and I see no one else could really hit any. It was just an ugly game, but we fought and found a way to win, and that's what good teams do. Q. Jeff, you guys jump on to an 18-2 lead, I believe. What happened after that that you guys only scored 18 points off that? Was it Wisconsin's defense or you guys not hitting shots? JEFF BROOKS: I think it was both. Wisconsin has always been a great defensive team. They buckled down a little bit rhythm on the defensive end and also I think we tried to slow the game down. We started playing Wisconsin's pace and we didn't play our pace which is up tempo making them run and thing like that, and the other thing we wasn't shots. Luckily we came out, we played defense, got rebounds, got the stops we needed, and we came out with a win. Q. Talor, I know this probably hasn't had time to sink in, but do you think that's probably the biggest shot you've hit in your career? TALOR BATTLE: You know, coach kept calling plays for me, so I had to eventually hit one, and to see one switch through was just the best feeling. Like I said, I haven't hit a shot the past two days, but we're winning so I couldn't care less. The funny thing is the two previous threes I shot, even though I was a little off balance, they felt so good coming off my hand, I actually thought they were in and then they were just short object the front rim. I told Tim Frazier just find me, I'll knock one in. Tim did a great job of finding me and I just shot the ball with confidence not even thinking about how I was shooting the ball so poor. It all comes down to guys screening, coach having confidence, and me believing in myself to hit that shot. Q. Jumping off that question I asked Jeff a minute ago, when you look at Jordan Talor, kind of switching it a little bit, but your defensive style, what did you guys do to shut them down, especially Jordan Talor? Seemed like you frustrated him quite a bit? COACH DECHELLIS: Well, I think it was both ways. I think he did a good job on Talor, as well. I think there's two great guards in our league really battling each other, and Jordan Taylor is an outstanding first-team all-conference player and so is Bubby, and I think those two guys just went at each other all night. You know, if you would have told me we were only going to have 36 points after our start, I'd have probably said no way. But I think we didn't try to slow it down, we just tried to get Jeff the ball and Bubby the ball and really got out of rhythm and really had no flow. But you know, it's just one of those things. Hopefully we'll score a couple more points tomorrow night. But I thought Jordan Taylor played -- he's tough, he's strong, he scored for them, and I thought Bubby is the same for us. Q. In your mind are you an NCAA Tournament team yet? COACH DECHELLIS: Yes. I mean, we've got -- I don't know what all the numbers are, Brian knows all the numbers, but I think our strength of schedule is under 10 today, our RPI was 50. With this win it should really drop. We've got enough Top 50 wins, I think we deserve to be in the tournament. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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